Stratford East

A buzzing community theatre with an impressive history.

Theatre | Private theatres
Stratford
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Tuesday 2 June 2026

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Time Out says

Talk about having a lot to live up to: in the '50s and '60s Theatre Royal Stratford East was arguably the most influential theatre in London, thanks to the presence of the visionary Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop.

These days, its output tends to send fewer shockwaves around the world. But the theatre, now known only as Stratford East, still has a lively and diverse programme with a breadth and eclecticism somewhat comparable to the National Theatre’s.

Artistic Director Lisa Spirling (formerly of the small but influential Theatre 503) took over in 2025 and has already started to make waves with a revival of Choir Boy by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (probably best known for his hit film Moonlight) and US playwright Moisés Kaufman's Pulitzer-nominated docudrama Here There are Blueberries. Her own directorial debut comes later in the year with Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, the newest play from playwright of the moment Ava Pickett.

Details

Address: Gerry Raffles Square; Stratford; London; E15 1BN

Transport:: Rail: Stratford International; Tube/DLR: Stratford

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What’s on

Surinderella

A pantomime? In October? Well aside from the fact that it’s only a few weeks shy of actual panto season (the next show at Stratford East is its main panto) then its worth remembering that not only did pantomimes not start out as a Christmas thing, their content rarely has anything to actually do with actual Christmas. So here’s Surinderalla, a panto from Rifco Theatre Company written by its artistic director Pravesh Kumar and directed byAmeet Chana. It’s a Bollywood-styled riff on Cinderella that follows the long-suffering Surinder and her fraught entanglemnent with Prince Kavi.

Panto
Until 31 Oct 2026

Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem

Stratford East’s 2026 pantomime is clearly going down an irreverent, youth-orientated direction as playwright and performer Yolanda Mercy takes her turn in the writing seat. As you might imagine, it’s a version of the Robin Hood myth set in contemporary London, and while Robin Hood is not itself classic panto fodder, Stratford East has a long history of pulling off improbable Christmas shows.

Panto
21 Nov 20262 Jan 2027

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